Hail and Damaging Winds in North Dakota, July 20, 2001

Name: Hail and Damaging Winds in North Dakota, July 20, 2001
Start: 2001-07-20T00:15
End: 2001-07-20T04:30
Location: North Dakota

July 20, 2001 · NWS FGF · 10 events in 9 counties and zones

9 thunderstorm wind, 1 hail, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $22,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 10

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Grand Forks, ND wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jul 19, 7:40 PM CST, 4 hours 35 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 19, 7:40 PM CST, 4 hours 35 minutes before

FORECAST DISCUSSION FOR EASTERN NORTH DAKOTA AND NORTHWEST MINNESOTA
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS ND
840 PM CDT THU JUL 19 2001

CONCERNS TONIGHT CENTER ON OVERNIGHT CONVECTION.

00Z MAP SHOWS WARM FRONT OVER FAR NRN SD WITH DEW PTS IN THE UPPER
70S IN ERN SD.  SEVERAL SUPERCELLS IN SD ALONG THIS WARM FRONT FROM
NORTH OF RAPID CITY TO NR ABERDEEN.  RUC ANALYSIS SHOWS 85H WARM
ADVECTION AND 85H MOISTURE CONVERGENCE CENTERING OVER FAR SE MT/SW
ND/NW SD AT 01Z..AND THIS AREA WILL BE THE FOCUS FOR ORGANIZING
CONVECTION THE NEXT FEW HOURS.  85H JET SHIFTS EAST OVERNIGHT AND
SHOULD FUEL DEVELOPING MCS OVER WRN/CNTRL ND BY 06Z.  THIS WILL
TRACK AND AFFECT MUCH OF THE CWFA OVERNIGHT.  18Z MESO ETA/AVN
ACTUALLY FAIRLY CLOSE IN SHOWING MAX QPF NR BIS AT 06Z AND THEN OVR
ECNTRL ND AT 12Z.  FEEL MCS TRACK MAY TRACK A BIT FURTHER SOUTH THAN
EARLIER THOUGHT CLOSER TO SFC WARM FRONT.  45KT 50H FLOW SUGGEST
POTENTIAL FOR BOW ECHO WIND EVENTS AS WELL AS SUPERCELLS NORTH OF
THE WARM FRONT AS GOOD DIRECTION SHEAR WILL EXIST.

CURRENT FFA LOOKS GOOD WITH NRN ZONES HAVING LOWEST GUIDANCES...BLO
1.5 INCH/1-HR.  HOWEVER...WILL ADJUST THE FFA A BIT FARTHER SOUTH TO
INCLUDE TRAILL...STEELE...GRIGGS...AND BARNES AS THIS AREA HAS HAD
HEAVY RAINS FROM RECENT EVENTS AS WELL AND TRACK OF MCS MAY PUT THEM
IN HEAVY RAIN AS WELL.

.FGF...FLASH FLOOD WATCH OVERNIGHT ALONG AND NORTH OF A VALLEY CITY
TO HILLSBORO TO BEMIDJI LINE.

RIDDLE

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Jul 19, 8:29 PM CST, 3 hours 46 minutes before

MNZ001>009-013>017-022>024-027>032-040-NDZ006>008-014>016-024-
026>030-038-039-049-052>054-200830-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS ND
929 PM CDT THU JUL 19 2001

...SEVERE WEATHER IS LIKELY OVER PARTS OF EASTERN NORTH DAKOTA AND
NORTHWEST MINNESOTA OVERNIGHT...

SYNOPSIS...THUNDERSTORMS WILL ORGANIZE OVER WESTERN AND CENTRAL
NORTH DAKOTA THIS EVENING...AND THEN MOVE INTO EASTERN NORTH DAKOTA
AND NORTHWEST MINNESOTA AFTER MIDNIGHT.  THIS COMPLEX OF
THUNDERSTORMS MAY EVOLVE IN INTO A BOW ECHO AND PRODUCE STRONG
STRAIGHTLINE WINDS AND POSSIBLE TORNADOES.  HEAVY RAIN WILL ALSO BE
LIKELY.

AREA OF CONCERN...RISK OF SEVERE WEATHER FOR ALL OF EASTERN NORTH
DAKOTA AND NORTHWEST MINNESOTA.

TIME...START AFTER 11 PM AND THEN CONTINUE UNTIL 6 AM FRIDAY
MORNING.

TYPE OF HAZARD...LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS. HEAVY RAIN ALSO
LIKELY.

RID7DLE

Local storm report, Jul 19, 10:31 PM CST, 1 hour 44 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN NORTH DAKOTA/GRAND FORKS
1131 PM CDT THU JUL 19 2001

...LATE STORM REPORTS...

TIME(CDT)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE  ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0730 PM    2 S ST THOMAS             ND   .75 INCH HAIL
07/18/01   PEMBINA

0730 PM    5 NW GRAFTON              ND   .75 INCH HAIL
07/18/01   WALSH

0745 PM    3 NW CRYSTAL              ND   .75 INCH HAIL
07/18/01   PEMBINA

0800 PM    2 NW HALMA                MN   WIND DAMAGE
07/18/01   KITTSON                        1 BIG PINE TREE DOWN, 3
                                          INCH DIAMATER BRANCHES
                                          DOWN

0815 PM    8 NE MINTO                ND   WIND DAMAGE
07/18/01   WALSH                          NUMEROUS 2 INCH DIAMETER
                                          BRANCHES DOWN

0930 PM    URBANA                    ND   .75 INCH HAIL
07/18/01   BARNES

0930 PM    JELLE                     MN   WIND DAMAGE
07/18/01   BELTRAMI                       2 INCH DIAMETER BRANCHES
                                          DOWN

0945 PM    20 S BAUDETTE             MN   WIND DAMAGE
07/18/01   LAKE OF THE WOODS              TREES DOWN

0945 PM    20 S BAUDETTE             MN   1 INCH HAIL
07/18/01   LAKE OF THE WOODS

1000 PM    11 SSE BAUDETTE           MN   WIND DAMAGE
07/18/01   LAKE OF THE WOODS              2 INCH DIAMETER BRANCHES
                                          DOWN

1045 PM    ANGUS                     MN   WIND DAMAGE
07/18/01   POLK                           3 INCH DIAMETER BRANCHES
                                          DOWN

1115 PM    14 SW THIEF RIVER FALLS   MN   1 INCH HAIL
07/18/01   PENNINGTON

1130 PM    3 NW RED LAKE FALLS       MN   2 INCH HAIL
07/18/01   RED LAKE

0145 AM    2 SE GREENVIEW            MN   .75 INCH HAIL
07/19/01   POLK

0200 AM    SYRE                      MN   .75 INCH HAIL
07/19/01   NORMAN

NNNN

The radar

The Fargo/Grand Forks radar (KMVX), 143 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 06:14 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

9 thunderstorm wind, 1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Eddy

When: July 20, 12:15 AM CST
Where: Eddy County, 4 mi W of New Rockford
Property damage: $500
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates: 47.683, -99.217

Tree branches were blown down.

Thunderstorm Wind, Griggs

When: July 20, 12:25 AM CST
Where: Griggs County, Hannaford
Property damage: $500
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates: 47.317, -98.183

Tree branches were blown down.

Thunderstorm Wind, Benson

When: July 20, 12:30 AM CST
Where: Benson County, 7 mi E of Warwick
Property damage: $1,000
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates: 47.850, -98.533

A tree was blown down.

Thunderstorm Wind, Ramsey

When: July 20, 12:45 AM CST
Where: Ramsey County, Devils Lake
Property damage: $5,000
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates: 48.100, -98.850

A tree branch was blown down onto a car, breaking its windshield. Another tree fell on a garage and another tree fell on a house, knocking out its power.

Thunderstorm Wind, Nelson

When: July 20, 12:50 AM CST
Where: Nelson County, Lakota
Property damage: $500
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates: 48.033, -98.350

Tree branches were blown down.

Thunderstorm Wind, Barnes

When: July 20, 12:50 AM CST
Where: Barnes County, 2 mi NE of Rogers
Property damage: $2,000
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates: 47.083, -98.167

Numerous large tree branches were blown down.

Thunderstorm Wind, Steele

When: July 20, 1:00 AM CST
Where: Steele County, Finley
Property damage: $2,000
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates: 47.517, -97.850

Trees were blown down.

Hail, Ransom

When: July 20, 1:05 AM CST
Where: Ransom County, 3 mi NE of Lisbon
Measured: 1.25 in hail
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates: 46.467, -97.633

Thunderstorm Wind, Richland

When: July 20, 1:30 AM CST
Where: Richland County, 3 mi NE of Wyndmere
Property damage: $10,000
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 46.300, -97.083

A grain bin was lifted off its foundation and demolished. Numerous trees were blown down.

Thunderstorm Wind, Richland

When: July 20, 4:30 AM CST
Where: Richland County, Wahpeton
Measured: 51 kt (59 mph)
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 46.267, -96.600

A 59 mph wind gust was measured at the ND State College of Science.

What these are

Thunderstorm Wind: Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.
Hail: Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in North Dakota in 2001 Every state in 2001 This day in weather history Warnings in North Dakota, July 2001

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5259866, 5259867, 5259868, 5259869, 5259870, 5259871, 5259872, 5259873, 5259875, 5259874.